Widespread Association of Ciliates Colonizing Gills of Shrimps Inhabiting Vents and Seeps Across the Pacific Ocean
Abstract
Bacterial symbiosis is well-documented in chemosynthesis-based ecosystems, but associations with microeukaryotes remain overlooked. In this study, using scanning electron microscopy and 18S rDNA barcoding, we investigate the presence, diversity, and biogeographic patterns of ciliate epibionts associated with two deep-sea caridean families: Alvinocarididae and Thoridae. We identified a widespread lineage of ciliates colonizing the gills of different alvinocaridid species, extending their previously known distribution in freshwater and coastal habitats to deep ocean down to 3388 m. These ciliates form a distinct clade related to coastal Chonotrichia, but show clear genetic divergence from the previously described species. Geographic divergence of these ciliate populations was observed across the Pacific Ocean, with no evident structure related to their host species. These chonotrichian ciliates exhibited variation in occurrence across host species, individuals, and regions, indicating a facultative association with their hosts. In contrast, the thorid shrimps harbored rare and phylogenetically diverse ciliates. More rarely, we found ciliates related to known parasitic lineages hosted by both shrimp families, with signs of immune response (black gills) in some individuals colonized by these ciliates. Our results reveal previously overlooked protist-crustacean associations in chemosynthetic ecosystems and highlight the ecological and biogeographic importance of this group in the deep ocean.
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BibTeX
@article{hey2026widespread,
title = {{Widespread Association of Ciliates Colonizing Gills of Shrimps Inhabiting Vents and Seeps Across the Pacific Ocean}},
author = {Lison Hey and Chong Chen and Ting Xu and Emily Cowell and Dewi Langlet and Pierre Methou},
journal = {Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1111/jeu.70115},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05854091v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Widespread Association of Ciliates Colonizing Gills of Shrimps Inhabiting Vents and Seeps Across the Pacific Ocean
AU - Lison Hey
AU - Chong Chen
AU - Ting Xu
AU - Emily Cowell
AU - Dewi Langlet
AU - Pierre Methou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology
DO - 10.1111/jeu.70115
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05854091v1
AB - Bacterial symbiosis is well-documented in chemosynthesis-based ecosystems, but associations with microeukaryotes remain overlooked. In this study, using scanning electron microscopy and 18S rDNA barcoding, we investigate the presence, diversity, and biogeographic patterns of ciliate epibionts associated with two deep-sea caridean families: Alvinocarididae and Thoridae. We identified a widespread lineage of ciliates colonizing the gills of different alvinocaridid species, extending their previously known distribution in freshwater and coastal habitats to deep ocean down to 3388 m. These ciliates form a distinct clade related to coastal Chonotrichia, but show clear genetic divergence from the previously described species. Geographic divergence of these ciliate populations was observed across the Pacific Ocean, with no evident structure related to their host species. These chonotrichian ciliates exhibited variation in occurrence across host species, individuals, and regions, indicating a facultative association with their hosts. In contrast, the thorid shrimps harbored rare and phylogenetically diverse ciliates. More rarely, we found ciliates related to known parasitic lineages hosted by both shrimp families, with signs of immune response (black gills) in some individuals colonized by these ciliates. Our results reveal previously overlooked protist-crustacean associations in chemosynthetic ecosystems and highlight the ecological and biogeographic importance of this group in the deep ocean.
SN - 1066-5234
SN - 1550-7408
ER -